Panasonic has announced the Leica DG Nocticon 42.5mm F1.2 interchangeable lens, compatible with cameras that fall within the Micro Four Thirds standard.

The lens weighs .94 pounds and measures 2.91 x 3.03 inches with a metal aperture ring around the barrel. The lens features a maximum aperture of F1.2, optical image stabilization, and Auto Focus. The lens boasts high image and build quality and is certified under the Leica standards. It includes 14 elements in 11 groups and houses Extra-low Dispersion and Ultra High Refractive Index aspherical lenses. The ED lens allows for sharp images with high contrast without color bleed in the corners, while the UHR brings image rendering with uniformed descriptiveness.

With a 42.5mm medium-teleophoto focal distance, which is equal to 85mm on a 35mm camera, the Leica DG Nocticon 42.5mm F1.2 lens is a great option for portraits with its high-speed aperture and soft focus. Panasonic included nine blades in the lens that create the len’s rounded shape, and allows users to shoot at higher apertures and still achieve a smooth out-of-focus look. The lens is coated with Panasonic’s Nano Surface coating, which reduces reflection, ghosting, and flare at light ranges between 380nm to 780nm.

The Optical Image Stabalizer assures users that, even at high apertures, they won’t have to worry about blur and out-of-focus images whether shooting small and fast or large and slow movement, even in low light situations. Panasonic also states that the inner focus system enables “excellent resolution and contrast from close-up to infinity.”

The Leica DG Norticon 42.5mm F1.2 lens will be available sometime during the first quarter of 2014 and will retail for around $1,600.